It’s a decision that may have cost the Kop skipper his chance of completing his medal collection with a Premier League title.

But
for Rodgers – who spent four years at Chelsea after being recruited as a
youth coach by Jose Mourinho in 2004 – the 32-year-old Scouser was right to let his heart rule his head.

John Powell

That worked out well: Rodgers is glad Gerrard stayed at Liverpool

Rodgers
said: “It was very close with Steven and Chelsea. I was at Chelsea at the time and I remember how ­excited everybody at the club was because they thought he was coming.

“But Steven is a loyal guy and in the end he decided to stay with the club he loves.

“I
know it was a big disappointment for Chelsea. Steven had just won the Champions League on his own for Liverpool in 2005 and he was wanted by a
lot of clubs, not just Chelsea.

“But
Stevie showed his devotion and commitment to the cause here at ­Liverpool. He has admitted himself how close he came to leaving, but his love for Liverpool was stronger than his wish to move to Chelsea.

“I
am glad he stayed. I’ve been given the chance to work with a great man and a great footballer, and Steven has just made his 600th appearance for Liverpool. That’s a phenomenal achievement at a club of this stature.”

Rodgers recalls recognising the scale of Abramovich’s ambition the moment he walked into Stamford Bridge. It has cost the Chelsea owner more than £1billion to turn the Londoners ­into the champions of Europe.

But Reds boss Rodgers ­remembers the Russian as a man who loved football.

He admitted: “When I arrived at Chelsea, a mission had been put in place by Roman Abramovich to make them one of the biggest clubs in the world by 2014.

“To do that they had to win Premier League ­titles and also the Champions League, and they have already achieved that.

“Mr
Abramovich was fantastic when I was there. He would come up to training
and watch once or twice a week when he was in the country.

“Outside the club he didn’t say a great deal, but I always found him approachable.

“He has a real interest in football.

“He
wants to win, but he wants to win in a certain way – and he shouldn’t be knocked for that ­because he has made a massive investment.”

Rodgers
will not be granted the kind of financial backing by Liverpool’s owners
that was granted to Mourinho and his successors by Abramovich.

But
he added: “Liverpool’s owners are about building something and creating
something that is going to be sustainable over a number of years.

“There’s only two ways to do it in football.

“Either
you invest a massive amount of money to get the top players or you be diligent in the transfer market and develop your own players.

“The second method obviously takes a lot longer than the first.

“Liverpool has a great history, but I can’t afford to look in the rearview mirror. I must look forward.”